Aoun’s remarks came after Israeli strikes targeted several locations in southern Lebanon and the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah announced a drone attack on what it described as a military target in northern Israel.

“The framework that Lebanon has set for the negotiations consists of an Israeli withdrawal, a ceasefire, the deployment of the army along the border, the return of the displaced, and economic aid,” Aoun said in a statement.

“My duty, based on my position and my responsibility, is to do the impossible, and to choose what is least costly, in order to stop the war against Lebanon and its people,” he added.

The ceasefire, initially reached on April 17, was extended by 45 days last week following a third round of talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives in Washington. Hezbollah has opposed the negotiations.

Despite the truce, violence has persisted along the border. Hezbollah said Monday it launched a drone targeting an Iron Dome air defense platform at an Israeli military encampment in northern Israel, describing the strike as retaliation for Israeli ceasefire violations.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported multiple Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, while the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for residents in three southern Lebanese towns.

The latest escalation followed Israeli strikes on Sunday that Lebanese authorities said killed seven people, including a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in northeastern Lebanon, away from the border region.

Israeli forces have maintained operations inside parts of southern Lebanon within a self-declared “yellow line” extending roughly 10 kilometers north of the border. Israeli troops have also carried out demolitions in areas under their control.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel was confronting growing threats from first-person-view drones increasingly deployed by Hezbollah against Israeli forces.

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli military operations have killed more than 2,900 people in Lebanon since the conflict began, including more than 400 since the ceasefire took effect in April.

The report by Iran’s Fars news agency came hours after Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed during summit talks in Beijing that the Strait of Hormuz should remain open to ensure uninterrupted global energy supplies.

According to Fars, citing an informed source, the arrangement followed requests from China’s foreign minister and ambassador to Tehran. Iran subsequently agreed to facilitate the passage of a number of Chinese-linked vessels within what the report described as the framework of the two countries’ strategic partnership.

The report did not specify how many ships would be permitted to transit or whether broader restrictions on international shipping remained in place.Iran sharply tightened controls over movement through the Strait following the start of US and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, significantly disrupting maritime traffic through one of the world’s most important energy corridors.

The situation worsened after a US blockade on Iranian ports began shortly after a ceasefire agreement reached in early April, prolonging instability across the Gulf region and affecting shipping routes responsible for roughly one-fifth of global oil and natural gas flows.It remained unclear how significantly the latest arrangement would alter maritime operations in practice.

During the conflict, Iranian authorities had already indicated that vessels considered neutral particularly those linked to China — could pass through the Strait if they coordinated movements with Iranian military forces.

Ship-tracking data showed that a Chinese supertanker carrying around 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude successfully passed through the Strait on Wednesday after being stranded in Gulf waters for more than two months due to the conflict.

The renewed movement of Chinese vessels through Hormuz highlights Beijing’s growing diplomatic and economic engagement in Gulf security issues as disruptions in the region continue to fuel volatility in global energy markets.

The report by Iran’s Fars news agency came hours after Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed during summit talks in Beijing that the Strait of Hormuz should remain open to ensure uninterrupted global energy supplies.

According to Fars, citing an informed source, the arrangement followed requests from China’s foreign minister and ambassador to Tehran. Iran subsequently agreed to facilitate the passage of a number of Chinese-linked vessels within what the report described as the framework of the two countries’ strategic partnership.

The report did not specify how many ships would be permitted to transit or whether broader restrictions on international shipping remained in place.Iran sharply tightened controls over movement through the Strait following the start of US and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, significantly disrupting maritime traffic through one of the world’s most important energy corridors.

The situation worsened after a US blockade on Iranian ports began shortly after a ceasefire agreement reached in early April, prolonging instability across the Gulf region and affecting shipping routes responsible for roughly one-fifth of global oil and natural gas flows.

It remained unclear how significantly the latest arrangement would alter maritime operations in practice. During the conflict, Iranian authorities had already indicated that vessels considered neutral — particularly those linked to China could pass through the Strait if they coordinated movements with Iranian military forces.

Ship-tracking data showed that a Chinese supertanker carrying around 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude successfully passed through the Strait on Wednesday after being stranded in Gulf waters for more than two months due to the conflict.

The renewed movement of Chinese vessels through Hormuz highlights Beijing’s growing diplomatic and economic engagement in Gulf security issues as disruptions in the region continue to fuel volatility in global energy markets.

The appeal came as Washington sought to advance direct diplomacy following two rounds of Lebanese-Israeli talks held this month in Washington, the first such high-level contacts in decades, after cross-border fighting involving Iran-backed Hezbollah escalated into a wider regional conflict in March.

President Donald Trump had announced a 10-day ceasefire beginning on April 17, later extending it by three weeks after the second round of discussions. He has said he hopes to host Aoun and Netanyahu “over the next couple of weeks” as both sides prepare for direct negotiations.

In a statement, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut said Lebanon faced a decisive moment and called for leadership from Beirut to move toward a broader political settlement.

“Lebanon stands at a crossroads. Its people have a historic opportunity to reclaim their country and shape their future as a truly sovereign, independent nation,” the embassy said.

It added that a direct meeting between Aoun and Netanyahu, facilitated by Trump, could secure guarantees on sovereignty, territorial integrity, border security, reconstruction support and the restoration of Lebanese state authority across all its territory.

The proposal has exposed divisions inside Lebanon, where Hezbollah has rejected direct negotiations with Israel and opposed Beirut’s previous commitment to disarm the group, a longstanding demand from Western governments and Israel.

Aoun said on Wednesday that Israel must first fully implement the ceasefire before negotiations could meaningfully proceed.“Israeli attacks cannot continue as they are,” he said, adding that Lebanon was waiting for the United States to set a date for the start of direct negotiations.

Israeli forces have continued military operations despite the truce, maintaining troop activity inside what officials describe as a “Yellow Line,” a zone extending roughly 10 km into southern Lebanon along the border.Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes on Thursday killed at least 17 people in the south, including five women and two children.

The Lebanese army said a separate strike killed one of its soldiers.Israel’s military also said one of its soldiers had been killed in southern Lebanon.

Aoun on Thursday condemned what he called Israel’s “continuing violations” of the ceasefire, citing airstrikes, demolitions of homes and places of worship, and attacks on civilians and emergency personnel.

Speaking to a delegation from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, he called for international pressure on Israel to halt attacks on civilians, paramedics, civil defense teams and humanitarian workers.

Three Lebanese civil defense personnel killed in Israeli strikes were buried on Thursday.Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported multiple Israeli airstrikes across the south, while an Israeli military spokesperson issued evacuation warnings for more than 20 villages near the border.

Hezbollah said it carried out 10 attacks on Israeli military targets in southern Lebanon, including strikes on tanks and troop positions.In Beirut, dozens of residents from southern Lebanon and local officials gathered to protest what they described as the continued destruction of villages despite the ceasefire.

“We will not surrender and will not normalize,” protester Hanaa Ibrahim, 48, told AFP.The ceasefire text published by the U.S. State Department states that Israel retains the right to act against “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks,” language Hezbollah says was never formally presented to Lebanon’s cabinet.

Aoun said on Wednesday that the wording matched the November 2024 ceasefire agreement that ended the previous war and that all parties had accepted it at the time.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, rejected that account, calling Aoun’s remarks “inaccurate, to say the least,” and disputing that the same terms had been accepted in the earlier agreement.

Among them is Rabih Khreiss, a 45-year-old mechanic and father of nine from the southern town of Khiyam, who now lives in a makeshift tent on Beirut’s waterfront after fleeing with his family in the early hours of March 2, when Hezbollah launched attacks into Israel and Israeli retaliatory strikes began almost immediately.

Khreiss, who once supported his family through a car repair workshop in southern Lebanon, now relies on donations for survival and says the uncertainty has left him feeling trapped.“I feel like my children and I are prisoners in a room, sentenced to life imprisonment,” he said.

“But when will relief come so we can get out of this life sentence? No one knows.”His family now lives in a fragile shelter built from wooden beams and plastic tarps that shake in the wind. Without showers, they bathe in plastic tubs and wash clothes by hand. His older sister, who is living with them, is battling cancer and struggles to access medical care.

“We’re living in tents, not knowing where these days will take us,” he said. “We start thinking, if only we could wake up and win the lottery so we could get out of this mess.”Although a ceasefire brokered by the United States was intended to reduce hostilities, Israeli forces have continued airstrikes and maintained troops in a strip of southern Lebanon, where they say Hezbollah infrastructure remains active.

That includes near-daily controlled demolitions in Khiyam, a town once home to around 10,000 residents and now described by locals as almost entirely flattened and deserted.Hezbollah has also continued attacks against Israeli forces inside Lebanon and on northern Israel, while both sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire terms.

The prolonged conflict has deepened despair among Lebanon’s estimated 1.2 million displaced people, many of whom had hoped the truce would allow them to return home but now face indefinite displacement.“Khiyam is my town, my region, my land, my home, my work, my people, my loved ones, everything,” Khreiss said. “Of course, all my memories are in Khiyam.

I miss everything about it.”The family has already endured repeated cycles of conflict. During the previous Hezbollah-Israel war in 2024, one of Khreiss’s older sons lost an eye when an Israeli strike hit their home in Khiyam.Khreiss said he pulled his children from the rubble with his own hands and felt he had aged “years” in a single hour.

His garage was also damaged during that war, but he rebuilt and returned. This time, he does not know whether either his workshop or his home still stands.With no steady income and rising anxiety over his children’s future, he says he is considering selling his car if he cannot find work soon.

“It’s showing in my children that they’ve never known joy or happiness, never been to an amusement park, never had fun like other children,” he said.“I brought them into this world, and I have to take responsibility for them and secure their future.

But circumstances have forced me to do nothing for them. There’s nothing I can do.”

Medical officials said at least 13 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Friday across the Gaza Strip, including Islam Al-Tanani, who was pregnant with twins, and her children Hamza and Naya in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.

The deaths added to mounting civilian casualties despite the truce that took effect on Oct. 10, with residents and aid workers warning that daily strikes continue to make the ceasefire feel largely symbolic for many Palestinians.Khalid Al-Tanani, the husband of the deceased woman, described a series of strikes that hit their home in quick succession.

“With the first shell, thank God we all survived and were calling out to each other. Then they fired the second, third, and fourth shells one after the other. Their voices fell silent,” he said.“I found my wife, Islam Al-Tanani, martyred, and my son Hamza, and Naya in her mother’s arms.”Hamza was four years old and Naya was 13.

Islam was expecting twins, family members said.Hamza’s 13-year-old twin brother survived, along with another child of the couple. Relatives said the family had recently begun preparing for the arrival of the newborns.

Mourners gathered at the funeral on Saturday at Al-Shifa Hospital, where grieving relatives wept over the bodies before burial.In southern Gaza, officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said eight more people, including four police officers, were killed when Israel struck a police vehicle.

Two other men were reported killed in Gaza City, bringing Friday’s total death toll to at least 13, according to local hospitals.Israel’s military said several militants had threatened troops operating in the area and that forces carried out an airstrike after warning civilians to leave.

Al-Tanani disputed that account, saying no warning had been issued before the strikes.The military separately said it had targeted two militants who posed a threat to Israeli troops in Gaza City but did not comment directly on the strike in Khan Younis that killed eight people.

Although large-scale fighting has eased since the ceasefire began, Israeli forces continue to fire near military-held zones and militants have launched attacks on troops, contributing to repeated violations of the truce.Israel says its strikes are responses to militant activity and security threats. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire took effect, according to Israeli officials.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said more than 790 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began six months ago. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government, says 72,300 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.The war was triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, in which around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed, according to Israeli authorities.

The continued bloodshed has deepened concerns among international mediators that the ceasefire remains highly vulnerable, with civilians bearing the heaviest cost of repeated breakdowns in calm.

The ministry said two separate Israeli strikes targeted a truck and a motorbike in the town of Yohmor Al-Shaqeef in Nabatieh district, resulting in four deaths.“Two Israeli enemy strikes, on a truck and a motorbike, in the town of Yohmor Al-Shaqeef in the Nabatieh district killed four people,” the ministry said in a statement.

The latest deaths followed Israeli attacks on Friday that killed six people in the southern areas of Wadi Al-Hujair, Touline, Srifa and Yater, according to Lebanese authorities.The renewed violence came days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced in Washington that the 10-day ceasefire that began on April 17 had been extended by three weeks in an effort to contain further escalation between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah entered the wider regional conflict on March 2 by launching rockets toward Israel, saying it was retaliating for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, further expanding the Middle East war.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Israeli artillery shelling across several locations in the south on Saturday, along with what it described as a “violent explosion” in Khiam, a strategic border town east of the frontier with Israel.

The agency has previously accused Israeli forces of systematically destroying homes and civilian structures in Khiam and nearby villages.Israel’s military on Saturday renewed warnings to residents not to return to dozens of villages and towns inside what it calls the “yellow line,” a zone extending around 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory along much of the southern border.

The army also said it had struck Hezbollah rocket launchers overnight in several areas, describing the operations as part of efforts to prevent renewed militant attacks.

Israeli officials have maintained that military action in southern Lebanon is aimed at neutralizing immediate threats near the border and preventing Hezbollah from re-establishing launch positions close to Israeli communities.

Lebanese authorities say more than 2,490 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, reflecting the scale of destruction despite repeated ceasefire attempts.On Friday, Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayad said the group retained the right to respond to Israeli “aggressions” during the truce and argued that extending the ceasefire “makes no sense” while Israeli military operations continue.

The continued strikes have raised concerns that the fragile truce may collapse entirely, with both sides maintaining military pressure despite diplomatic efforts to prevent a broader regional war.

In a written statement broadcast on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television, Qassem said the group would not accept a return to prior arrangements and called on Lebanese officials to take a firmer stance in upcoming talks.

His remarks followed Israeli strikes earlier this week that he described as “bloody criminality,” referring to attacks on Wednesday that reportedly killed more than 300 people in Lebanon.

The comments come as Beirut and Tel Aviv are preparing to begin negotiations in the United States, part of ongoing diplomatic efforts to address escalating tensions between the two countries.

GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said the Lebanese move to direct the army and security forces to enforce state authority and restrict weapons to official institutions marked a “significant step” toward strengthening sovereignty and stability. The decision aims to consolidate control in the capital and limit arms possession to legitimate state forces.

Albudaiwi reaffirmed the GCC’s support for Lebanon’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, stating that the measure could help enhance stability and safeguard citizens.

Separately, India’s foreign ministry said it was “deeply concerned” by reports of civilian casualties following heavy Israeli bombardment earlier this week, which killed more than 300 people according to reports.

New Delhi stressed that protecting civilians must remain a priority and called for adherence to international law, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The escalation comes amid ongoing conflict involving Israel and Hezbollah, which has drawn in broader regional tensions linked to the U.S.-Israel confrontation with Iran.

Israeli operations in Lebanon have added strain to a fragile two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, with both sides preparing for negotiations in Islamabad aimed at easing tensions.

The mass movement began after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, prompting sustained Israeli air attacks and a ground offensive. Villages across southern and eastern Lebanon, along with Beirut’s southern suburbs, have been largely emptied, pushing civilians into the capital in numbers equivalent to roughly one-fifth of the country’s population, according to government estimates.

Beirut’s infrastructure has come under severe strain as displaced families crowd into available spaces, including schools converted into shelters, mosques, storefronts and public parks. A sprawling tent settlement has emerged along the city’s waterfront, while others have set up makeshift shelters along the coastal corniche and near Horsh Beirut park.

Residents described deteriorating living conditions, with many lacking access to basic sanitation, electricity and adequate shelter. Some families have resorted to sleeping in vehicles or under tarpaulins, while heavy rains have flooded encampments, exacerbating health risks.

The United Nations refugee agency said the scale and speed of the displacement are without precedent in Lebanon’s recent history. Spokesperson Dalal Harb noted that the figure of one million displaced likely understates the true number, as many have not formally registered with authorities.

Government efforts to accommodate those fleeing have included converting hundreds of public buildings into shelters and establishing temporary facilities in large venues such as sports stadiums. Aid groups have also repurposed damaged infrastructure, including a slaughterhouse affected by the 2020 Beirut port explosion, to house displaced populations.

Despite these measures, capacity remains insufficient, forcing large numbers to remain in informal settlements. Many displaced families have opted to stay in Beirut rather than relocate to northern areas where space may be more available, citing concerns over losing proximity to their homes and communities.

Urban specialists warn that the visible scale of displacement is reshaping the city’s social and physical landscape, creating new pressures on public services and heightening tensions among residents.

The influx has also revived concerns over Lebanon’s fragile sectarian balance, with the displacement of large numbers of Shiite residents from southern regions and Beirut’s suburbs raising fears of demographic shifts in the capital.

Humanitarian agencies say needs are escalating rapidly as the conflict shows no sign of abating. Israeli forces have signaled the possibility of advancing further into Lebanese territory, raising the prospect of additional displacement.

Aid officials warned that conditions for those already displaced could deteriorate further without sustained assistance and a de-escalation in hostilities.